Flexible circuit strips are well known in the art as a means of providing multiple, parallel-extending electrical conductors. Each conductor has a small cross-sectional area, and a flexible strip of substrate material supports the plurality of conductors. Typically, each conductor of a flexible circuit strip is an electrically conductive carbon ink trace printed upon the substrate.
Often, in order to connect a flexible circuit strip to its proper connection location, contact pins are crimped to a terminal end of the flexible circuit strip. Each terminal contact pin is to be electrically connected to one of the conductors of the flexible circuit strip. The terminal contact pins are typically terminated into wire leads or soldered into a rigid circuit board.
For flexible circuit strips, as with all electrical devices, mechanical integrity is an issue that must be considered such that proper electrical operation is accomplished and maintained. Specifically, with regard to flexible circuit strips, a loss of mechanical integrity may cause intermittent or total loss of electrical connection. When a finished product that contains a terminated flexible circuit strip is moved, disruption such as vibration may occur that may impose upon the mechanical integrity of the flexible circuit strip and the associated connection.